Catalyst
by Kinz
Summary: Following an accident in a school bus, Valerie Russell meets our favorite protagonist from Tithe. Their meeting sets events in motion that would never have happened otherwise. Also involves other characters from Valiant.
1. The Crash

**Disclaimer** (whew, I almost forgot to put this up!) I don't own anything. The wonderful, wonderful Holly Black does! I would never steal anything from her, even though I worship Ravus and Roiben. XD And I want that Never... (so I can be a Never-whore! lol) But I don't own it, which makes me sad. C'est la vie.

Uhm… welcome to my first Tithe fic. If you like this, thank Giedre. She's the one who convinced me to post this. And if you don't like this and think it's the worst thing you've ever read, you can blame her too. (XD just kidding) And thanks to Lauren for praise even though she snatched it away during English class. XD I dedicate this chapter to both of them.

Just so you know, Val might be OOC (or Kaye for that matter) and some details from Valiant may be missing/off. My friend Lu has my book (or at least I think so… it's kind of been a musical book thing with Valiant. It went to Li's little sister to somebody –I dunno who- to Lu. I think.). So please don't yell at me unless you have suggestions on how to make it better.

Chips ahoy! (sorry, private joke between my friend Li and I from when we went to Amherst, where Holly Black lives and my brother goes to college.)

* * *

_This is so boring, _Valerie Russell thought, leaning her head against the window of the car. _Stupid school field trips._

There was one weird thing about it, though; they were going, for some reason, to the same part of New Jersey as the entrance of the Unseelie Court. She wasn't quite sure why they were going (she had been daydreaming about Ravus while they were talking about it), and she really wasn't sure if it was a good place to go or not.

Based on her limited experience with faeries of the Unseelie Court, she was guessing not.

"Val, come play 20 Questions with me," Ruth whined. Val rolled her eyes.

"This is the fifth time you've asked. Are you trying to wear me down or something?"

"Is it working?"

Val had to laugh. "Alright, I'll play 20 Questions with you. Electronic version?"

"Of course. I say we use the word 'faerie.'" Ruth smirked wickedly. "First question they should ask: is it the species of being that Val kicked ass in fighting them?"

"Shh!" Val hissed, looking around to see if anyone had heard. No one appeared to have eavesdropped, as they were all listening to their music and chatting loudly with each other. "Somebody might here you."

"Gee, sorry, Your Majesty," Ruth said mildly sarcastically.

Whatever Val might have said was cut off by screams from the rest of the bus and an unpleasant feeling of the world lurching beneath her, accompanied by a grinding sound. Ruth's voice joined the terrified chorus while the bus flipped over. When the bus finally stopped moving, Val straightened up from shielding her head to look around.

While the bus hadn't caught fire, it seemed that nobody was moving. _Scratch that_, she thought. People were moving, but nobody seemed to be in any condition to get help. Even Ruth, next to her, was holding her head and moaning. Val seemed to be the only unharmed one. Mostly, anyway, as she could feel blood slowly trickling down her forehead and cheek, and when she put her hand to feel it, the hand came off stained red.

_Crap. What do I do now?_

Val made her way on the uneven surface of the ceiling of the bus (that was now the floor), stepping over the unconscious bodies of her classmates and teachers. Opening the door was a struggle, but she managed in the end.

There were buildings in the distance, and as Val ran closer to them, she saw that the nearest one was a gas station. As she slowed to a fast walk, people stared. Val supposed she looked rather a mess with blood dripping from a gash in her forehead and oozing out of a cut on her check.

Val burst into the gas station shop; the clerk behind the counter turned to look at her. His eyes opened wide.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Can I use your phone?" Val asked, ignoring his question.

"We're not supposed to let anyone use our phones."

"Look, the bus I was in just flipped and rolled over and there are people in there possibly dying. I don't have a cell phone or money for a pay phone. I'm going to call, goddammit, whether or not you like it."

The guy looked at her with wide eyes again, and nodded. "Come into the back room."

Val followed him, ignoring the odd looks she got from the customers. Because of the New York fiasco, she was used to staring. He led her to a phone in the corner of the room. Dialing 9-1-1 as she put the phone to her ear, she listened for the voice asking, "What's the emergency?"

When she made contact, she explained the situation as calmly as she could to the emergency person on the other end of the line. It soon amounted to frustration.

"I don't know where exactly! I'm not from around here; I don't know what anything's named! Can't you just track my call and go half a mile east? My friend is in there, so are all my classmates and teachers!"

While she got frustrated, she didn't get hysterical as one might in those circumstances. She had reacted calmly when she had found about Tom and her mom, albeit a bit irrationally. She wasn't about to freak out now, not when she hadn't when Mabry had stolen Ravus' heart (literally). After five minutes, the person on the other side of the line reported that rescue vehicles had reached the bus. As Val hung up, the door opened and an Asian girl with blonde hair walked in.

"Hey, Corny, your shift's over. The guy outside told me to tell you."

"OK, thanks," Corny said. He turned to Val. "You'd better go; you're not supposed to be in here. Neither are you, Kaye. Shouldn't you be at school, anyway?"

"I needed a day off." Kaye looked past Corny to Val, and her eyes widened slightly. "You," she whispered.

"Me," Val said mockingly, turning to go out the door. "Thanks a lot, Corny, was it?"

"Not so fast," Kaye said, flitting forward and grabbing hold of Val's arm. "Come with me. Your face needs cleaning up. What happened to you, anyway?"

"Long story," Val said, eyeing the girl suspiciously. What if she was one of _them_? How did she know who Val was? The girl began pulling Val towards the door. Val relented after a few steps. Once they got to what was apparently Corny's car, Val pulled away.

"I have to get to the hospital," she told the two. "Which way?"

The girl looked surprised. "Is your head that bad?"

"Not for me. My classmates, a few teachers, and my best friend are there. I hope."

"She was in a bus crash," Corny supplied. Kaye's expression flickered for a second, then reverted to concerned.

"Come on, we're going to my house."

"I need to get to the hospital," Val insisted. Kaye rolled her eyes.

"We're only going to my house to clean you up. Then you can go to the hospital."

"Well, if you two are set, I'll be taking off now," Corny said, getting into his car.

"Bye, Corny," Kaye said as he sped off. Then she turned to Val. "Are you coming? I don't bite."

Val had nowhere to go but after her. She was in a strange town all alone without a cell phone or even any money.

They walked a ways towards the inner city. Finally, they reached a nice house. Kaye opened the door and motioned for Val to step in. Val did, and Kaye stepped in behind her and closed the door behind them. Kaye led the way upstairs to what was apparently her room. It was very messy and Val had to wade through clothes to sit on the mattress. Kaye sat on a comforter across from her.

"You shouldn't be here," Kaye said.

"You invited me!"

"No, I mean you shouldn't be this close to them."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. They're wanting revenge on you for messing up the court and killing her."

"What? Oh," Val said, a shiver running down her back, an image of roughly thrusting a sword in Mabry's neck running through her head. "It wasn't my choice to come here. It was a school field trip. I had to. I didn't want to come."

"Well, you have to go home." The words were clear and precise, and Val could tell she meant business.

"Not until I see Ruth. How do you know, anyway?"

Kaye smirked. "That's for me to know."

Val eyed her warily. "You're one of them, aren't you? A faerie?"

Kaye started to say something, but the door opened and who Val supposed was Kaye's mom stood in the doorway.

"Who's this, Kaye – what happened?"

Val licked her dry lips. "I was in a bus accident. Everyone else is at the hospital. Kaye was giving me a place to calm down."

Ellen shook her head. "I swear, you bring home the weirdest friends, Kaye. First that Robin guy and now her."

"Hey, I'm still here!" Val said indignantly. Ellen shrugged.

"I tell it like it is. Stay as long as you like, hon. We're not going anywhere. In fact, why don't we clean up those cuts? They look pretty nasty." She left the room and came back with a first-aid kit, which she thrust at Kaye. "You do it; I've got to call some people."

Kaye rolled her eyes but took the box. She waited until Ellen was out of the room before opening it and bringing out some Bactine stuff. While she was busy with the gash on Val's forehead, Val was still trying to process everything that had gone on during the last hour or two. Finally the Robin comment registered.

"Did she say, 'Roiben'?" Val asked. _Please tell me I got it wrong…_

"She said Robin," Kaye said, moving to the cheek. "She has no idea that Roiben exists Roiben. To her, he is only a weird human mortal."

"But you've had Roiben, King of the Unseelie Court, here. In your room."

"Possibly. Look, go home. I can guarantee a safe journey home, but I can't do anything if you stay here."

"The only reason I'd go home is my sword," Val said, "and I saved Ravus' life with a metal pipe once. I can defend myself, and I'm going to see Ruth."

"Against things you can see, maybe, but not against those you can't."

"Oh well. Ruth is in that hospital and I'm going to stay here until she gets better. Screw Roiben and his minions."

Kaye's eyes grew dark. "Say that again."

"Screw Roiben and his minions."

A voice from the doorway startled them. "Kaye?"

Kaye's head snapped to the side so fast that Val thought she would get whiplash. "Roiben! What are you doing here? I thought we agreed only at night!"

Val's first instinct from experience was to back away or run, but she stuck her ground as Roiben glanced at her.

"She was in a bus crash caused by those under your rule," Kaye explained. "Nobody's happy with her."

"Can somebody _please_ tell me what's going on here or where the hospital is?" Val burst out. "I'm really confused and I want to see Ruth."

Roiben took a good look at her and narrowed his eyes. "You killed my poisoner."

"It was a fair fight," Val defended. "You made the deal between us. She was going to kill you, anyway. You should be thanking me if anything."

"Should I?" Roiben said amusedly. "May I remind you that she would have killed you had I not stepped in."

"Yeah, you were going to let me die in combat I wasn't trained for instead! And all for your sport and pleasure, too! It was decency that drove me to save you, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you. Besides, are you admitting that you saved a human mortal? I thought faeries hated any positive interactions with humans."

Val had no idea where the defiance was coming from – there was no Ravus to save – but hey, she thought, if it works, use it. She got up from the bed. "Thanks for cleaning me up, Kaye, even if I still don't know exactly who you are. And Roiben-" She shook her head. "I don't have anything to say to you."

Val walked out of the room, down the stairs, and out the door, leaving Ellen to say from the kitchen, "Leaving already?"

Val wandered around town for a while, glad to get away from Roiben. She was still slightly hostile against him for his attitude when Ravus was dying. At last she found the hospital. She walked in and looked around warily. She didn't like hospitals much, although she was thankful for the one that had treated Dave.

"Can I help you?" a bored voice said. Val realized with a jolt that she had wandered to right in front of the front desk.

"Um… in the big bus crash that was today, did a girl named Ruth with head injuries come in?" she asked.

"I'm not permitted to give out that information to anyone besides family," the woman said. Val rolled her eyes.

"I was in the damn bus when it rolled over, and Ruth's my best friend. I was the one who called for help. I think I deserve to see my best friend."

"I wish I could help you," the woman said. "However, if you're not a family member, I can't give you the requested information."

"Then say I'm her sister for God's sake!" Val exclaimed, causing many people to look their way. She quieted her voice and took a deep breath. "Please, I'm begging you. My name's Valerie Russell. You can have that for your records in case somebody has a problem with letting me visit her. Just tell me where she is. I won't make trouble."

"Well…" the woman said slowly. "This may cost me my job, but I'll write you down as her sister." She continued on to tell Val where Ruth was and when visiting hours ended (which was in an hour).

Val nodded her thanks and made her way up to where the woman said Ruth's room was. Just as she was about to open the door, someone called her name.

"Val!"

She looked around. It wasn't Ravus' voice, but it was familiar. It was a male voice, and as she turned to her left, she saw who it belonged to. Val blinked in surprise. _What is he doing here?_

* * *

So there you go. Small cliffie, I'm sorry. I'm the Queen of Cliffies. Somebody just complained that I ended my Harry Potter fic, Coming Home, with a cliffie. Which I totally did _not_. –huffs- 

Oh, and a little warning. I may or may not finish or even update this fic. I'm working on the next chapter, yes, but there is no telling how far it will get before I get bored or have a new or better idea.

OH! And here's a book recommendation for you all: Vampire Kisses and Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber. I emailed her and she actually EMAILED BACK! Isn't that the most awesome thing? Anyways… chips ahoy and review! No flames, please!

-Kinz


	2. Slight OOCness on the part of Luis

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here except the storyline. The characters, etc, are Holly Black's and I wouldn't want to steal them (at least, not before Ironside comes out –innocent look-).

**OK, I'm back. I can't guarantee how fast next chapter is coming since I 1.) haven't started writing it yet, and 2.) don't know what it's going to be on yet. I'm incredibly unorganized on this story, and I hope you guys can forgive me. I thank you all for not issuing death-threats. Welcome back to all old readers, and welcome for new readers!**

**I tried to not end with a cliffie this time. I really don't think any of you could call it a cliffie. So, anyway… here we are!**

* * *

_She looked around. It wasn't Ravus' voice, but it was familiar. It was a male voice, and as she turned to her left, she saw who it belonged to. She blinked in surprise. _What is he doing here? 

"Luis!" she exclaimed. She walked over to him. "What are you doing here?"

Luis looked grim. "Well, I have good news and bad news. Good news: we found Lolli. Bad news: she's sick. Really sick. She was lying unconscious on the sidewalk here when we found her. She had a fever as bad as Dave's was. Dave is in there with her," he added in response to Val's questioning look. "He insisted on seeing her first. I don't know why; she's just going to kick him out. So, why are you here? And what's wrong with your face?"

"I was here on a school field trip when the bus somehow tipped over and rolled off the road. I got away with only this, but everyone else is much worse. I came to see Ruth."

"Well, Lolli's room is just down the hall, so you can visit her when you're done with your friend."

"I'll try," Val said. She walked back to Ruth's door and opened the door. She could see Ruth lying in the hospital bed in the completely white room. Ruth looked normal, except for her location. She looked over to Val and her face lit up.

"Val! What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you," Val said, going to sit on the end of the bed. "I had to convince the lady at the front desk to come up here, you know. I'm pretty sure me being here is against hospital rules."

"Well, since when do you care about the rules?"

"Hence why I'm here, Ruth. Are you OK? What did they say?"

"Concussion," Ruth said, wincing and putting a hand to her head. "I'll be fine, though. What about you? Weren't you in the hospital too?"

"No," Val said. "I was the one who walked all the way into town, dealt with one of _them_, and called 9-1-1 all in the same trip. All I got was a couple cuts. They were pretty bloody, but Kaye cleaned me up."

"Kaye? Who's that?"

"She's the one I met. She's the favorite of Lord Roiben. I think you remember who he is."

Ruth arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "So not only was she one of them, she was a high-ranking one?"

"Apparently so. Let's not talk about them, though. I think they can hear us." Val shivered involuntarily. "When are you getting out?"

"Day after tomorrow," Ruth said gloomily. "They want to keep me tomorrow for observation, whatever that means."

"It's a conspiracy," Val suggested. "Everyone's plotting against you."

Ruth rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. And the sky is falling. In other news, tell me who you met!"

Val told her an abbreviated version of the meeting with Kaye and Roiben, enjoying the way Ruth's eyes widened every five seconds. Then she looked at her watch and made a face. "Crap. I have to see Lolli."

"Lolli? That weird girl with the blue hair?" Roth asked. Val nodded.

"The one and only. I gotta go. I promised Luis I'd visit her."

Val waved and walked out of the room. She walked over to where the boy formerly known as Dave was standing.

"Hi," Val said awkwardly. She was still slightly wary of Dave, but she had to feel slightly sorry for him. He looked gloomy. "How is she?" Val tried again. Dave laughed bitterly.

"She's well enough to kick me out."

Val suppressed a laugh and pushed open the door to Lolli's room. Lolli was sitting up and leaning against the pillows behind her while Luis was sitting in a chair next to her. Val cleared her throat and the two looked at her. The look on Lolli's face scared the hell out of Val. Her eyes were hollow and not at all like the Lolli who had introduced her to Never, who had taken in a little kitten (and later pushed it in front of a subway car, but Val preferred not to think about that). Then Lolli smiled, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes.

"Val," she said. "What're you doing here?"

"Ruth is in here. Remember her? My best friend, the one you called."

"Oh yes. I remember." Lolli smiled again, that queer smile. "It was fun to see the look on your face." She looked at Luis. "Go away."

"Oh, that's nice," he huffed, rolling his eyes, but walked out the door.

"So what happened to you?" Val blurted out. "Luis said you had a fever and you were found unconscious on the sidewalk."

Lolli shrugged her thin shoulders. "Things happen." She was obviously avoiding the question. "So what happened with you and your friend? And Ravus?"

"Oh," Val shrugged. "We were on a school field trip here, no idea why, as there's absolutely nothing out here, but our school bus flipped over. So Ruth is in here, in addition to a whole bunch of other kids."

"And how is Ravus?" Lolli asked slyly.

"He's fine. How are you?"

"Peachy. Got any Never?"

Val frowned. "You're still not over it?"

"Are you?"

Val shifted. "Mostly." She still got twinges of urges sometimes – quitting faerie drugs was harder than it sounded – but they were getting less and less frequent and bad. She had stopped getting headaches and the muscle aches had long ceased.

"In another word, no," Lolli said, smirking. It seemed to fit the new look in her eyes better than the false smile she had given Val at first.

There was a bit of silence before Val looked at her watch. "I have to go. Visiting hours are over." She stood up. "Get better, Lolli. The boys and I don't want you to die."

"Who said anything about dying?" Lolli asked mysteriously, and that was that.

* * *

After saying goodnight to Ruth, Val faced a problem: where to go, what to do. Last time she didn't have anywhere to go, she had met Lolli and Dave, and then Luis and eventually Ravus. She seriously doubted that she would be so lucky this time. Plus, this town, although smaller, was exponentially more dangerous than New York City. Who knew where faeries were lurking. She had no money for a pay phone and she had left her cell phone on the bus – but wait. Val dug around in her pocket. She finally pulled out four quarters from the bottom of her pocket, change for a pay phone. Now to find one. 

Val roamed the streets and finally found one on a dark street corner. She deposited two quarters and dialed her home number. _Please answer,_ she thought.

Luckily, the phone was picked up. "Hello?" her mother's voice asked.

"Mom? I need you to come pick me up. I'm at the corner of Main Street and California Avenue. It says on that one sheet where it is."

"Valerie?" Mrs. Russell sounded relieved. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried when I saw on the news that a school bus crashed and two people died-"

"Mom, just come pick me up. Please," Val said sharply, adding the 'please' to soften the tone of her voice, her head spinning. Two people had _died_? And it was all her fault. If she hadn't been so slow, if she had just run instead of walking, if she had just hijacked the phone and called, they might be alive.

"I'll be there soon," Mrs. Russell promised. "Stay there and wait." And she hung up.

Val bit her lip and hung up the pay phone, already deep in thought. It would take her mom at least an hour to get to Val. First step, get into brightly-lit civilization. Val decided that if she was going to be attacked, she would rather there were witnesses.

But was she really going to be attacked, or was she simply being paranoid? There was no guarantee that the faeries were making trouble tonight, but nor was there evidence that they weren't. She would have to take her chances in the dark night. It was only eight, but it was winter, so it was chilly and dark.

A sound behind her caused Val to whip around, but she didn't see anything. Her pulse shot up, and bursts of adrenaline shot through her veins like Never. She cocked her head to the side and listened for another sound. When none came, she jogged in the direction of a lit shop window.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and again, she turned around, and again she couldn't see anything. Kaye's response to her insistence that she could defend herself echoed in her head: "Against things you can see, maybe, but not against those you can't."

Could it be that she was being followed by things she couldn't see? Kaye was right; she wouldn't be able to defend herself. Then again, she could just be being followed by a regular stalker or even just a bystander also walking the streets.

"Who's there?" Val asked out loud. Too her relief, her voice betrayed none of the wariness that she felt. "Show yourself and leave me alone. Or just leave me alone, either works."

"Relax, Val," Luis' voice came from the shadows. His body materialized into sight as he stepped out of the dark into the light spilling out the shop window. Val breathed a sigh of relief and he raised an eyebrow. "Did I scare you?"

"Of course not," Val said automatically, lying. "I just wasn't expecting you to show up like that."

"I definitely scared you," he said. Val rolled her eyes.

"Did not. Where's Dave?"

"He was right here," Luis said, frowning and looking around. "I don't know where he went."

"Oh, great," Val said. "Seriously, though, this is bad." A noise behind her caused her to jump. Luis looked behind her and his eyebrows shot up.

"Val, I think someone's here to see you," obviously trying to remain nonchalant despite great surprise.

Val turned around slowly to face a very familiar shape standing what was behind her. Her face lit up. "Ravus?"

"You are in danger here," the troll said. Val tried to concentrate on his words instead of flinging herself at him like a maniac.

"I know; I called my mom," Val said, stepping one stop closer to Ravus. Now that he was farther into the light, she could see the glamour he wore. He looked like a normal teenager, almost anyway.

"They're on the prowl tonight," Ravus said gravely. "It is also dangerous for you to be here, Luis. Your brother going missing only bodes for evil."

"I understand," Luis said. "But I'm not leaving Lolli."

"And I have to wait here for my mom," Val said. "Not that I'd rather wait for her than go with you, but I figure I owe her something, for, you know…" She left the sentence unfinished. Luis and Ravus knew what she meant, anyway.

"Noble choices. Unwise ones, maybe, but noble," Ravus said. "Val, how long will it be until your mother comes?"

"About an hour or so," Val said, biting her lip. "It's kind of long, I know, but we live kind of far away…"

"I'll say," Luis muttered. Then, louder, "What are we going to do?"

"About what?" Val asked. "_Them_?"

"Yes, and Dave. I don't know what happened to him. He was behind me one moment and then gone the next. But I didn't see anything, so I don't know what happened."

Ravus shook his head. "It can only be bad."

"I know."

The three were in silence for a while until Val said, "Can we go into the light? I'm cold."

"Well, it is thirty degrees out…" Luis said sarcastically. "Can't see any reason why you'd be cold." He quieted at Ravus' look.

Ravus moved closer to Val and put his arm around her in hopes of quelling her shivers.

"Thanks," she mumbled as they moved into the light. Luis was behind them, muttering to himself and apparently forgetting that faeries, including trolls, have very good hearing.

"Stupid people, can't stop their PDAs…"

Ravus whispered something to Val and she giggled as they stepped onto the sidewalk of the busiest street in town. Luis was surprised she could laugh despite the stress she was under.

"Oh, Luis," she said. "Don't pretend you didn't do this to Lolli before."

"I didn't."

"Sure."

"I refuse to respond to that. It's completely off the point."

"Fine. What's the point?"

Luis rolled his eyes. _How did I get to know this girl? I swear, she's bipolar._

He didn't realize he had spoken aloud until she glared at him.

"I am not."

* * *

**Well, how was it? I hope it lived up to your expectations, and even if it didn't, I hope it was too awful. Again, I apologize for taking so long. First I had school and exams, and now I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning, three times a week, two weeks a month, for one synchronized swimming team (it takes two hours, from 6:30-8:30!) and then from 11-12, I had synchro at the country club that my family belongs to. So pretty much, I'm exhausted by the afternoon and I take a nap and then it's dinner and Internet and… I think you get the point. But I'm going to try my best on the days that I don't have 6:30 synchro to get these things done.**

**Thanks for hanging with me, those of you who did. And again, welcome to new readers (hoping I get any!)**


	3. Missing

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the Holly Black books. Pretty much, none of the characters are mine… **

**A/N: I am so sorry. I don't know if that means anything, since I'm always sorry for **_**something**_**, but still. I don't think words can explain how sorry I am. That being said, I probably won't change my ways anytime soon, because I've been trying to for about 3 or 4 years now.**

**I have exciting news though… I have, as of May 16****th****, officially met Holly Black not once, but TWICE. I now have all 3 books signed. And Holly is my best friend now. XD I had coffee (well, she had coffee. I had hot chocolate) with her in Amherst (where she lives), with my friend. And then I saw her when she was here in WI on the 16****th**** of May, with Cassandra Clare (and I got ****City of Bones**** signed, too! Lovin' it!). It was so cool, and to anyone who was there, we're all REALLY sorry about hogging Holly and Cassie once we got to the front. And I'm meeting her again this summer. XD Check my profile for a link to Holly's LJ for some awesome pics from the signing!**

**So yeah. That's my exciting news. It's also what inspired me to write this. It's really really short, only 4 pages, but I wanted to get it out because it's been so incredibly long. Again, I'm really sorry. Busy. School, you know. But it's summer really soon, so I should be able to update more!**

oOoOoOoOoOo

It had been a week since the bus accident, a week since she last saw Lolli, and a week since she last saw Ravus. Yes, it had been a hard week, what with missing Ravus and wondering if there was any news about Lolli. At least Ruth was back home. Back and whining, as she was doing now.

"Val," Ruth wheedled. "Val, amuse me."

"Amuse yourself," Val answered. "I'm busy."

She was indeed busy, and you could tell by the books, notebooks, and folders scattered around her in her room as she sat on the floor. After being gone for a month, Val was still making up work, even a month after she had gotten back. She had four tests the next day, and winter exams were coming up. She needed all the studying she could get.

"I don't _want_ to amuse myself!" Ruth replied, closing Val's Psychology book and taking it away. "Ha. Now you can't study!"

Val rolled her eyes and pulled her Principles of American Democracy book over to lie in front of her. "Suit yourself, Ruth. You can't take all my books."

Ruth's eyes glittered. "Is that a challenge?"

"No," Val answered, putting her hand over the book as if to protect it from unfriendly influences, namely Ruth. Ruth pouted.

"You're no fun, Valerie Russell," she announced. Val shrugged, seemingly entranced by the fundamentals of the American governmental system. She jumped about a mile high when the phone rang.

"Valerie, will you get that?" Mrs. Russell yelled up the stairs. Val looked at Ruth.

"Answer it?" she half-asked, half-commanded. "And if it's for me, tell them that I'm busy."

Ruth picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said into it. "Val? She's busy." She listened for a second, and then asked, "Who is this?" At the answer, her eyes got big and she soundlessly handed the phone to Val, who shot her an annoyed look. Ruth shrugged.

"'Llo?" Val asked into the telephone, balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she made a note in her notebook.

"Val? It's Luis," a familiar voice on the other side of the line said. Val was so surprised that she dropped her pencil.

"Luis?" Val echoed disbelievingly. "How'd you get my number? How are things? Why are you calling?" As Val rattled off question after question, Louis sighed.

"Val? I've got bad news." That got Val's attention.

"What is it?"

Luis sighed again. "Lolli and Dave have gone missing. And I've been seeing _them_ everywhere. This isn't good, Val."

"No kidding," Val breathed. "Where could they have gone?"

"Honestly, are you dumb? I'd be willing to bet all I have that _they_ took Dave. Goodness knows what happened to Lolli, but she's probably with Dave."

"Why weren't you taken?" Val asked. "I mean, you're as much a part of everything as they were. In fact, Lolli barely did anything."

"Don't think that that thought hasn't already crossed my mind too," Luis said wearily. "I really don't know."

"Great," Val sighed, wising she had a phone cord to weave through her fingers. She settled for her pencil instead, twirling it through her fingers at top speed. It was a bit of a nervous habit. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know," Luis said frustratedly. "Maybe you should talk to Ravus. Maybe he has some ideas."

"I don't know how to contact him," Val admitted. "I haven't seen him since the bus accident. That was a week ago."

She could hear Luis groan. "Val, why don't you know how to contact him? You do love him, right?"

"Of course I do!" the short-haired girl exclaimed indignantly. "I love Ravus. How could you possibly think-"

"Whoa, Val," Luis said over her. "Calm down. I wasn't implying anything."

Val could see Ruth gesturing to her to tell the details. She shook her head. Ruth could wait until she got off the phone. Ruth pouted and Val rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so I'll keep my eyes open," Val said into the phone. "I have to go. School, you know."

"One thing I don't miss," Luis muttered. "I'll call you if anything comes up."

"'Kay," Val said. Then, as something struck her, she said, "And where are you calling from? Where do I call you if I find something out?"

She could just feel Luis's smirk. "That's not for you to know. Don't bother calling me, I'll call you soon." And a click! came from the other end of the phone as he hung up. Val slowly put down the phone onto the floor.

"Well?" Ruth asked expectantly. "What did he want?"

Val shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. "He… Lolli's gone, Ruth. So is Dave." She heaved a sigh. Ruth's mouth formed a perfect 'o'.

"Do you have any idea where they are?"

"Maybe," Val said darkly. "And we're not telling."

"Vaaaaaaaaal," Ruth whined. "Tell me!"

Val frowned at her friend, twirling the pencil even faster through her fingers the way the debate kids at school did. She had picked up a few nervous habits from them, such as the whole twirling pencils thing, along with talking too fast when she was nervous. "Ruth, this isn't funny."

"I know," Ruth said seriously. "So what are we going to do?"

"Study," Val said simply. "I'm going to study. There's nothing much that I can do."

"Righto."

oOoOoOoOoOo

"_Val!"_

_A girl with faded blue hair called. Val turned around, but couldn't see anybody. "Where are you?"_

"_I'm over here…" There was a sound of coughing._

_Val turned towards the sound, but still couldn't see anyone in the dark. She stumbled in that direction through the shadows until she tripped over something._

_It was a girl with faded blue hair, her face beautiful though her body was battered. Val gasped._

"_What- what happened?" Val whispered, horrified._

_But there was no answer from the girl. A sound from her left caused her to jump a mile high and whip around. It was a man; only, he wasn't quite a man. He was very tall and Val thought he looked familiar… but she couldn't think. She couldn't even breathe._

"_What's happening?" she gasped out with a great effort. _

_The man only watched her passively as she struggled to find breath._

_She dropped down to her knees, sure that she was going to die…_

oOoOoOoOo

**Uh, yeah. Sorry again about it taking so long for such a short chapter. Not sure how much I like this chapter… but it's necessary to set up the plot, y'know? It is over 1,000 words, though… which is tiny, yes, but it's longer than what I had before.**

**Review.**

**Kinz**


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